Banned in D.C.

Link to Article, House Passes Rules Easing D.C. Gun Restriction, 9/17/08, Fox News

The House of Representatives recently moved to broaden firearm rights for citizens living in D.C. The proposed bill would allow D.C. residents to purchase and operate semiautomatic firearms. There has been much support for this bill. Many critics and politicians argue that the current restriction on semiautomatic firearms in D.C. is a violation of the second amendment, "The right to keep and bear arms." Washington D.C. is not officially a state, so their is some argument regarding whether or not the district must strictly follow the second amendment. In addition, the representative for D.C. is not able to vote in congress.

I believe that it is ridiculous for D.C. to have a restriction on semiautomatic weapons because such weapons could endanger the lives of residents and political dignitaries. The same reasoning could be applied to any other city in the U.S. The founding fathers of this country created the second amendment in order for citizens to defend themselves against incidents of civil uprising and government actions or lack of actions similar to those of Great Britain's rule over the American colonies. I support the enactment of this bill because it gives the residents of D.C. greater access to their second amendment.